Category: Hair

Hair…ahhh, hair. My passion, my reason, my inspiration. Hair means many more things than just dead strands connected to my head. It’s the only thing I wanted to learn about after high school. My hair is like an old friend that has been there since the beginning. Through the good cuts, the bad colors..it’s been there for me. My hair has changed and grown the same way I have as a person. When I was lost, didn’t know who I was or how to be happy, I chopped it above my ears, then bleached it…then colored it red. When I was trying to cover up my feelings and bad hair choices…I bought a wig (or 10). It may sound silly or like I am making it up, but it is true. About 7 years ago I put an end to that rollercoaster and was ready to be consistent, persistent, the best version of myself I could be. And since then, my hair has been altered a little bit here and there but for the most part it has stayed the same. Just like I have. And as time goes by, I tweaked it a little bit, just like I tweaked myself.

I color my own hair. I don’t have to, but I choose to. Mostly because my inspiration comes at times of the day that no salon would ever be open. It’s after the kids go to bed, and I look in the mirror deciding I deserve to be pampered for once. This is what happened tonight. I wanted a brighter look, and a couple inches chopped off as well. See this is the thing about changing your hair. You can go blonder, or longer. But you can’t do both at the same time. If you are going to brighten your hair and take the plunge and put that bleach on it, you have to be ready to get a good trim after. And don’t forget a conditioning treatment! Your hair and your skin are very porous and if you are going to take the moisture out, you have to put it back in. Sometimes I skip the treatment and I regret it after. Luckily tonight I was hungry so I just stuffed my face while waiting for the treatment to absorb in to my hair!
When I do my own hair, it is therapeutic for me. I carefully decide which strand goes where. And with each stroke of the brush I feel invigorated and excited for the new me that is about to reveal itself! My hair does not turn blonde very easy, so I have had to repeat this process every few months. And I am still not done. In a few months, I will brighten it a bit more again. (and trim, and condition).
If you are planning to get balayage or go lighter in any way, do know it does not happen overnight. It has taken me a very long time to get the bright pieces in my hair that I do have. And if you put trust in your stylist, they can achieve this for you. But don’t skip the trim, don’t skip the conditioning treatment. Treat yourself and treat your hair right and it will thank you!
I love my new look, and the precious ends I cut off will grow back again (slowly but surely) I am growing my layers out so I have to consistently cut the bottom off and leave the layers alone for a bit so they can catch up with my ends. I will be slowly adding some blonder pieces to this look to hopefully achieve a very icy blonde on my ends. If you are looking for something new with your hair, don’t be scared! Find that person you trust and let them tweak your hair a bit, you will feel just as invigorated as I do! I promise it will give you that pep in your step you are looking for. When I have a great hair day I feel like I can go out and accomplish anything! With confidence. Have a great rest of the week everyone!

Hair. To some people, it’s just a bunch of strands on their head and they do their best to avoid having to deal with it. But to me, it’s everything! That was only thing I ever wanted to do after high school was go to cosmetology school and learn to make people beautiful! And I wanted to experiment on my own hair as well of course! And that I did, I tried every color, cut it as short as above my ears.. do I regret it? I really don’t, it all grew back eventually. And the 20 pounds I gained there all came off too :-O! And I’m glad to say I tried it because I could never cut my hair that short again! And thankfully I don’t have the down time that I did in Beauty School to sit and eat takeout restaurant food every day.

If you are scared to try new things to your hair, but you have thought about it, I have found a solution! I recently put pink in my hair and it is washing out fairly quickly. So I looked around my beauty supply and found that they have professional temporary hair mascaras that wash out as soon as you shampoo your hair. I bought a pink and a teal because I do love those two colors! And now I can put a splash of color in my hair anytime I want, with no commitment! I just thought I would share the love with you guys, these come in many collors so if you are wanting to try a pop of color and your hair, try these first! No commitment, but lots of fun! Maybe you want to rock your red lipstick and put a couple strands of red in your hair that day as well, go for it! You can find these hair mascaras on Amazon here! They are called Colorme by Giuliano Professional.

I applied this after blow drying and curling my hair and I just kind of free-hand lightly applied the color with the mascara wand on the strands that I wanted. If you want a lot of it in your hair, pull each strand out that you want colored and hold it with a lot of tension and brush it on. Enjoy!!

Those who know me know I dance to the beat of my own drum. Not in the rebellious way, I do like to follow the rules because I’m a bit of a scaredy cat-worrier at times. But when it comes to fashion, hair, makeup I have always loved to try new things. I do love to stand out in a crowd. They call it attention-whore in this generation, but why does wanting to stand out and make an impact make you an attention whore? I want to reach people, motivate them to dance to their own beat! You love blue lip gloss but scared to wear it? Wear that ish! Rock it at the grocery store even! It will feel invigorating.

I colored my ends pink the other day, and it is washing out at a fast pace. I wanted to embrace the last of my pink hair by wearing a sassy outfit today. If you follow my Instagram you will see I posted a couple pictures of tulle skirts recently, I have been on the search for the perfect tulle skirt! It was hard to find locally because it wasn’t exactly Spring yet, and I was too scared to order one online because I always seem to be disappointed when I try that.
I was shopping at the mall with my girls the other day and I was in Forever 21, and there were two tulle dresses randomly hanging on a rack. One was pink, and an XL. But I saw a black one that caught my eye, and it was in my size and super affordable at 34.99! We have a wedding in a couple weeks and I thought this would be perfect to wear! I can sport the tulle skirt I have been looking for for so long!

But today, I was looking at that that dress thinking why can’t I wear it now, why wait for a special occasion to wear something I so love! I threw on my Converse and my Mossimo jean vest. I even started digging through my hair accessories. I found a headband that I loved but when I put it on it squeezed my head so hard it made me look like I had a balloon on the top of my head. So I cut the elastic part of the headband off and just bobby pinned it in my hair. Perfect!

Don’t be scared to get all dolled up for no reason, it made me feel good today and it can do the same for you! And my girls had fun throwing some dresses on today too, I inspired them to be all girly and fun today!

Also, you can do this to a lot of dresses or skirts that you own, throw on some combat boots or tennis shoes with a jean jacket/vest, leather jacket or whatever and it will make it look more like day-wear rather than an evening look. Now go try something out of your comfort zone! It will feel so good, promise. xo

I couldn’t find the dress I bought in a store online, but here are some other options from Forever 21.

Today started off a little rough. My daughter didn’t want to go to gymnastics and we ended up leaving with her kicking and screaming. I couldn’t force her to go back in to her class, but I could take away the afternoon of fun I promised her afterwards: a day at the outdoor mall. It was hard to take that away because her little sister and I were really looking forward to it too! Why do we have to suffer for her bad fortune dang it!!!

This whole parenting thing is tough..and my oldest has tested me since birth..she is super full of emotion and uses it to test my every nerve right until bedtime. She is in for a rude awakening come Kindergarten…people aren’t going to be catering to her every move. Anyway..she promised to make up her class on another day this week and we will give the mall another go. Wish us luck!

Since I had my afternoon free, I decided to touch up my ombre a bit. If that sentence confuses you, I added some brighter highlights to the ends of my hair…hahaha! Sometimes I need to freshen the hair up, especially for a new season!! I also added in a select few rose.gold pieces that no one will notice..I will need to add a few more pink pieces in soon..which will be easy because I color my hair myself!!! I am my pickiest client 😀

Target had their shoes buy one get one 1/2 off yesterday..which was perfect because my youngest girl and I needed some new kicks! I found these awesome slip-on sneakers in gray and they are super comfortable..especially at the ankles. I can’t wait to rock them all Summer with shorts. They look great with pants and yogas too! Of course I had to buy some gray shirts to match them (I have a matchy matchy problem). Luckily clearance had some cute options! I realize the tank is meant for St. Pattys day..but I am gonna sport it all Summer anyway! I love the shorts too because they are that perfect length..not too short not too tight! You can find the shoes here. Their shoes are still bogo half off right now too!! The hats I am rocking in the pics are from last Summer. The gray one is from Target, and the black one is Express. As you all know I bargain shop so I found the Target hat on Poshmark and the Express one at a second hand store. Target has a ton of cute floppy hats, check them out here!! My shorts can be found here. Happy shopping! I wish you all great hair and shoes for the season!!

Here is a side profile of my hair color..if you’ve never tried ombre before..try it! I keep my roots natural so I only touch up my hair when I WANT to.

I was thinking about this today..SELFIES. Do we all take them, but we don’t all post them? I really enjoy taking selfies (that sounds so silly to just throw it out there like that) When I look back at my childhood..me and my cousin would always get all dolled up and take “modeling” pictures of each other. I never “posted” them anywhere, I was too young to even have anywhere to post them! It was just fun to do!! Then when I got a little older..Myspace became the hot thing. That was like THE place to put all of your selfies! I even remember posting a couple in a bikini and it offended my sisterinlaw so much at the time that she tried to get my brother to get me to take them down, like I was committing a crime. So-selfies that bare more skin-do they offend people? Or do they bring out the insecurities in themselves so they feel they have to make us feel we are doing something wrong because it makes them feel uncomfortable with themselves? If taking pictures of yourself is a hobby just as much as someone who loves to cook and takes endless pictures of their food…why are selfies criticized more? People are just as much a work of art as a beautiful plate of food!

For me, selfies are how I always expressed myself and my self confidence. When I got all dolled up and felt pretty, it made me feel like I could do anything, made me feel confident. And when you feel confident, you feel like you can do anything, right!? Working in a salon was the best job for me, because they encouraged us to look the best we could. It made our clients feel confident that we would make them feel like the best version of themselves if we, in turn, looked our best. I may not be in a salon anymore..but I still feel like getting myself ready in the morning sets the tone for the rest of the day. If I feel good about myself I am more likely to get out of the friggin’ door and get some much needed errands done..or take the girls somewhere fun! I find myself being much more social when I feel like I look presentable. Do you girls feel the same!?

Everyone does different things that make them feel their most confident. Whether it be a killer work out, killing it at their job, or getting all your housework done for the day before 10 am (that puts me in the BEST mood!) We shouldn’t criticize other people for what they do to make themselves feel good, feel happy. If curling my hair and wearing as much eyeliner as I can and taking 20 selfies that day makes me feel GOOD, why shouldn’t I do it!? Everybody wins really. If I feel good, my kids, my husband, my friends-they all benefit from it. Because I am HAPPY and giving them the best version of myself!!!

The bloggers and Instagram women who inspire me are the ones that take selfies to promote something that means something to them-whether it be an idea, their own brand or somebody else’s brand that they are inspired by and want to share with others to inspire them too! I have gotten so many fashion and fitness tips from this woman and I get excited to see their next selfie or post and what it will inspire! I hope to do this for others as well.

My #ootd was an H&M peplum top, my favorite Target jeans, and Coach flats from DSW. If I am struggling to find shoes I like I always resort to DSW! H&M has also been one of my favorite stores for years!!! Their prices are unbeatable and their style just fits me so well. I own a lot of jeans from their store too.

Ponytails scare me a little bit. I have never been one to confidently walk around with my hair slicked back in a ponytail or in a knot on top of my head. I prefer my hair down, and curly. Ponytails showcase all kinds of things that my long curls usually hide. When my hair is down I don’t have to worry if my foundation lines around my face are blended perfectly, or if my makeup is on point. When your hair is out of your face, you see everything! You better make sure that makeup is perfect girl! And for the gals who can rock a ponytail and no makeup, I applaud you! Girls with thick, long hair or extensions can rock a gorgeous ponytail but I do not have enough hair for that right now!! Today, my hair was NOT working well with me, so I had to resort to a messy ponytail. Do you gals like ponytails or is it a last resort for you too? Maybe I will start experimenting and find a ponytail I can feel confident in, that leaves my hair still looking full. Maybe add some strands around my face down – to offset my long, oval face.

Now, on to my boots! These suckers are at least 7 years old! I got them at Aldo when I worked in a salon and could afford to splurge on a pair of shoes any day of the week. Before kids and a home started sucking the life out of the funds! These boots called to me..they can be worn a few different ways: all the way rolled down, halfway rolled down, or not rolled at all. They are warmest when worn as thigh highs, and trendiest when folded all the way down. I do love me some fur!!!! It is chilly outside today, so a thick scarf from Express and warm, soft boots seemed perfect. (if only my hair was down… Happy Thursday everyone!

When I worked in a salon, we were given a lot of education not only about hair techniques, but what happens when product is applied to the hair. Your hair is like a spongue and absorbs everything, good and bad given to it. I had a lot of clients complaining about how often they have to wash their hair and how oily their scalps get after one day since washing! So I asked them “how are you applying your conditioner?” Most people put a quarter size glob of conditioner in their hair, applied it to the top of their head and worked it into the rest of their hair from there. Well, this is not the proper way to apply conditioner. Your scalp already produces its own oils, and your hair closest to your scalp is NEW hair, it hasn’t seen the same sun, heat, and color damage as your ends have. Your roots don’t need much moisturizing, if any. The proper way to condition is to apply the quarter size amount first to your mids-ends, then whatever is left on your hands after that (it won’t be much) can be distributed to the top half of your hair. This will give you a couple extra days between washing.

Now, if dry hair is an issue, you need more than conditioner. Most women these days color their hair regularly. Most get some sort of highlight/ombre/balayage as well. That can take a toll on your hair and cause long-term damage if you are not doing deep conditioning treatments. I have tried many treatments in my days, and my favorite thus far is the Mythic Oil Masque and Oil Bar. You can use the Masque alone if you want, but when you mix the oil in with it, it is like magic!! NEVER use the oil alone, your hair will look SO greasy afterwards and there is no washing it out. It is meant to be used with the Masque. If your hair is extremely dry, you can even use the masque as a regular conditioner. These 2 products are a pretty decent price on Amazon. Mythic Oil Masque / Mythic Oil Bar. The best way for your hair to absorb this masque is to sit under heat for 15 minutes, and sit out for 15 minutes. Rinse with cool water so your hair cuticle can close and seal in that silkiness!! Also, don’t forget to use some sort of product that works on your hair before you blowdry! It protects your hair from the heat of a blowdryer/flat iron. My favorite is Paul Mitchell Skinny Serum. It works on ALL hair types…even thin, oily hair!! It smells delish as well. Happy conditioning!! If you have any questions, please feel free to message me!!

After I conditioned I blow-dried with Paul Mitchell Skinny Serum and curled my hair with a 1-1/4 inch iron, curling each strand in opposite direction as the previous. (This gives more texture than curling each strand in the same direction)